Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Feast of the Three Holy Fathers, Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom is an annual commemoration of our Holy Orthodox Church on which we honor the unwavering faith and spiritual brilliance of three Saints ....

NEW YORK – The Office of Greek Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will honor and celebrate the Feast of the Three Hierarchs as the Day of Greek Letters and as it has done in the past, will hold a series of events, Jan. 30-31.

During this Holy season of Lent we are blessed to commemorate the Feast of the Annunciation on Sunday, the Lord's Day. We celebrate this feast in anticipation of what is to come in a few weeks and for all eternity. First, the relationship of this feast to the coming observance of Holy Week is significant. On this day the Incarnation of our Lord in the flesh was announced by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.

New York, NY - In observance of the Feast of the Three Hierarchs and in celebration of Greek Letters and Culture, under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, the Archdiocese Department of Greek Education has announced several events which will take place from January 27-30, 2007.

Upon our joyful celebration of the Feast of the Three Hierarchs and the commemoration of these great luminaries and champions of our Orthodox Christian faith, we are called to consider what made these men outstanding examples of communion with God, firmness of faith, and holiness of life. Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, and Saint John Chrysostom are known, admired, and loved as persons of great faith and wisdom who offered their lives, their unselfish services, and their talents for the glory of God, the advancement of the Church, and the salvation of the people

On this day we celebrate once again the feast of the illustrious Three Hierarchs and ecumenical teachers of the Church, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, and Saint John Chrysostom. In our hymns and prayers we honor them for having illumined all the world with the divine and true teachings of our faith. Through their great wisdom and Godly knowledge they have enlightened our hearts and minds and guided us toward salvation in Jesus Christ.

It is said of the ancient philosopher Thales of Miletus that an inquirer once asked him, “What in life is difficult? Thales responded immediately: “To know oneself.” (From Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers). This dictum, Gnothi Seauton, “Know thyself” was so common in Greek philosophy that the ancients themselves were in disagreement as to who had first spoken it. This saying is surely best known, however, as the inscription over the portal of the temple of Delphi, admonishing those who sought the oracle’s gift that the most useful knowledge was not of the future, but of oneself. For according to the Hellenic understanding, within the bounds of the self could be found insight into all things: the world around us, natures visible and invisible, and even truths divine.